The Edge of Existence
by FireMoon42
Summary: Traveling alone in the aftermath of the Time War, a lonely Timelord meets an interesting stranger and finds new purpose.


**The Edge of Existence**

 **AN: It's been two and a half years since I've posted here! But I finished high school and my writer's muse is returning. So without further ado, I hope you enjoy this oneshot.**

 **. . . . .**

He had only one direction to go – away from the destruction. No more war, no more death; he had to leave all of that behind. The lonely Timelord felt like a shattered planet himself. No life, no identity, just scattered dust and fading memories.

The TARDIS would know what to do, and he let her take him wherever she thought best. He'd always trusted her, even when he couldn't trust himself. The beeps and whirrs and soft glow of the console filled his mind, blocking out every other thought. He stared at the floating dust and let himself slip into a numb daze.

Reality rushed back into the Timelord's senses when the console screen began to flicker in the corner of his eye. Loud static emanated from the intercom and the TARDIS began to shake. He stumbled to his feet and, gripping the edges of the console, tried every combination of knobs and levers to bring her back to her senses. To no avail – something outside was interfering with the sensors. Then, as abruptly as it started, the shaking stopped. They had landed. He glanced toward the door. Static still filled the control room. The Something was out there.

Either the TARDIS had brought the Timelord here to meet it, or it was powerful enough to pull her towards itself. Whatever it was, it was worth to check out. He pulled on his leather jacket and made his way to the door.

White light blinded him as he stepped outside and the Timelord raised his arm to shield his eyes from the glare. Strangely enough, he almost thought he could sense a living presence.

"Could you turn that down, please?" he yelled as he squinted upward.

Something stirred in the glow, like he had caught its attention. His senses were right! The beam of light faded to blue, growing smaller and smaller. The spots in his eyes made way to reveal a black-haired man in a long tan coat. The stranger standing with his back to him.

There was a long silence. Neither moved. Finally, the Timelord asked the pressing question. "Who are you?"

The man in the trench coat turned to face him, blue eyes squinting curiously. "I am Castiel," he said in a gravelly voice. Then, "You look human, but you are obviously not. Why are you here?"

That was very blunt, the Timelord thought. The corner of his mouth twitched. "I don't know." He didn't even know where _here_ was. Then he looked out at the landscape and drew in a deep breath.

Towering rock formations rippled and rose across the planet's surface like frozen waves. The stars scattered across the night sky were bright enough to cast jagged shadows on the cliff faces from their razor-sharp edges. This planet was a barren, lifeless rock, and seemed timeless, as if the chaos of the universe had been frozen, fossilized in a single moment and its light extinguished. And then there was the stranger standing in front of him, who was powerful enough attract the TARDIS. Who knew of humans.

The forlorn look on the stranger's face sent pangs of loneliness through the Timelord's hearts, but he pushed his homesickness back as the gears of his mind started to move. Castiel was a mystery that needed to be solved, and a person who needed to be heard. What had sent him on his journey so far from Earth?

"You spent time among humans?" the Timelord asked.

"For eons, my kin, the angels—"

"The what now?"

"…and I watched over the human race. We weren't to get involved, but then I did. I got attached to them. I began to question my superiors."

"So what happened?"

Castiel took a deep breath and started to walk. "There was a war. Not amongst the humans – most of them didn't even realize it was going on. Angels died by the score, but the mortals never knew how close their planet came to complete destruction."

 _When, though_ , the Timelord wondered as he walked alongside. That was his problem as a time traveller. The human race as he knew it could be long changed by the time Castiel's story rolled around. But he didn't interrupt again.

"In the end, the Earth was saved, but at what cost?" Castiel's pained eyes met the Timelord's. "My friends sacrificed their lives for their ungrateful planet. They were mortal, but they were my family."

"What about the other angels? Was there nothing left for you there?" The Timelord winced as Castiel's mood turned bitter.

"My friends are gone and I am the last of my kin. The Earth spins on in ignorance. And after all those millennia, my mission came to an end. So I ask you, space traveller…" Castiel's gaze softened again. "Why should I remain on Earth?"

The Timelord stared at the ground. He had no answer.

"You would not have come here if you were not very lost," Castiel remarked.

Darkness entered the Timelord's mind again, but all he showed the angel was a shrug. "I had nowhere else to go. We had a war, too, but we weren't as lucky as the humans." He had no desire to elaborate.

But Castiel's eyes bored into him and he felt compelled to continue. At length, he admitted, "I lost everything. My home planet burned to dust and my people's blood is on my hands. The enemy went down with us, but the war will never be won for me."

"You have so much death in your ledger," Castiel murmured, ignoring the sharp glare he received. "But your fate will not be the same as mine. There will be no long, slow sleep for you. You must seek redemption."

"What redemption could there possibly be for me?" the Timelord said bitterly.

"With the angels gone, Earth now stands defenseless." Castiel's tone was matter-of-fact. "Most humans are ignorant, but a few of them really are worth your effort."

The Timelord's eyebrows raised. How had he not even thought of that? That silly little planet had always held a special place in his hearts. Perhaps it would be where he made his true new home. At the very least it would give him purpose again—he was never meant to stagnate. He couldn't save Gallifrey, but maybe he could do some good on that ridiculous blue dot.

"Oh, I think they're more than worth the effort," he said. "You'd be surprised what they can do when they realize life is bigger than they think it is."

Castiel nodded sagely. "My role in the universe has ended, but yours is not done yet."

"My role in the universe?" the Timelord scoffed. "The universe makes no demands to me."

Castiel gave a wry smile, then started to walk away. "Trust your ship. She will take you to her."

 _To her?_ The Timelord frowned, but then decided it was probably better not knowing what he meant. As he stepped into his TARDIS, he heard Castiel call out.

"Wait! You never told me your name."

The Timelord turned around to face him one last time and grinned. "Call me the Doctor."


End file.
